San Francisco Stand-Up For Fritz Montana

We love artists who have undying passion for their craft – be it winemaking, fashion, culinary or music.

Deftly capturing the upbeat sounds of San Francisco’s blues/indie rock scene, Fritz Montana could almost be mistaken for The Black Keys or Alabama Shakes, but make no mistake: their sound is their own. The members of the trio (David Marshall, Guitar/Vocals; Kevin Logan, Bass; Matthew Hagarty, Drums) grew up in the dawn of the pop punk era (the years of Blink-182, Sum 41, New Found Glory, and Simple Plan) and formed in 2013 to make music that “keeps your feet dancing and your head banging.”

Since their formation, the trio has rapidly grabbed the spotlight. They’ve opened for Kings of Leon, Vampire Weekend, Queens of the Stone Age, AFI, Arctic Monkeys, and Capital Cities, and they’ve shared the stage with Glass Animals, Royal Blood, The Strypes and Little Hurricane. Fritz Montana has released two albums so far, both well reviewed.

During an exclusive interview with ILTG, the band members talked about what makes them tick: how they incorporate the sounds of San Francisco into their music; emulating and learning from their biggest musical influences, including the bands they most resemble, The Black Keys and Alabama Shakes; and how the quest to constantly evolve drives them to experiment and push themselves.

The band’s aim is stay independent unless they’re approached by a label. Their immediate goal: “We’ll play wherever people will listen.”

We asked the group to tell us what’s the best wine to pair with Fritz Montana’s music?

“Whatever your choice, we’d recommend lots of it: a big goblet full of red or white wine. If you happen to watch Game of Thrones with our music on, you can call us House of Montana. Back in college, double-fisting Two Buck Chuck got us through a bunch of hard times, and certainly we looked cooler double-fisting wine than beer!”